Chances
by Vixeona
Summary: A tribute to Martin,Lucien, Valen, and Sheogorath. The player character gets a second chance to save one of them, but which will she choose when all of them have effected her so deeply? 11/11/11 Skyrim!


**Chances **

**Prolog Chapter 1: A Tribute To My Four Favorite Men**

I am not very religious and I've never really felt the need to be. People have reasons for worshiping who or what they want, most of the time I've found their reason is based on results. I've been told by many Dadric worshipers for instance that, "with Daedra you get results. Not always good, but results just the same." That said it seems by all rights I should be the most religious citizen in all of Tamrill as the gods seem determined to drag me through over and under every inch of this land to fix, or destroy, as I pass through. Yet, even taking on a pilgrimage, I find no desire to worship. God, Daedra, man, nor beast. My heart however… my heart yearns to worship a man. Which man, I don't know. There are four men that my path has driven me through. Four men who in one way or another has been kept in my mind and heart throughout my travels. All four who by the fate of gods or destiny have fallen to the blame of my own actions, or lack there of.

A roguish man who I've never really known.

A noble priest of noble blood and an even nobler heart.

A murderer and child of the night mother.

And finally a god and Daedric prince.

In my life I have been called everything from scum and demon to saint and god. I've walked with vampires, spoke with witches, claimed the den of cursed pirates and helped save the world from certain doom. It started that day when I met the rogue.

He was the first person I recall seeing, but I can't believe that to be true. When I woke in that cell it had been as if I had just come into existence. It didn't make sense then and I don't believe it ever will. I remember him basically inviting me to his cell for… "fun" and then he promptly told me I was going to die in this place, the imperial prison. It hadn't bothered me then really. I think it might have after a bit when I got over the fact that I didn't remember anything from before I woke up. As it was though I never got the chance. The Emperor and three of his guard arrived and were on the run from assassins. The emperor seemed to trust me as well as recognize me. With freedom being offered to me I took the chance and left the place, and the dark elf in the other cell, behind. In short the dunmer named Valen, not that I knew his name at the time, was brushed to the back of my head. In the months to come I spent a few days pondering over what the rude mans crime was, but tended to be caught up in my own blossoming crimes of thievery. The thieves' guild had taken me in and with the luck of the dammed I was scaling their ranks as quickly as I picked up the art of lock picking.

It was around the time of my largest histe with the guild that the weight of the dragon amulet given to me by the late Emperor started to nag at me. I now had plenty of gold in pocket to legally obtain almost anything I wished, so with the aid of a map I made my way to the location the emperor and his guard had described. I told the priest of the emperor's illegitimate son and was sent off to find him myself. I hadn't been aware that I would be single handedly taking down a gate of oblivion in order to find the son of the man who once ruled the empire. Yet I did, and when I found him, saw him for the first time, there was no doubt who he was. I remember him being rather calm for the situation and the others seemed to cling to that strength. Though he didn't know of his lineage he certainly held the same aura as his father. He was handsome and though he had no reason to do so, he trusted me, and I led him back. Long story short we bonded rather strongly. Though I never told him, I loved him. As his subject, as a woman, as an honorary member of the blades I loved him. Though he doubted himself through all the trials we faced I knew he'd do right. And he did. Right up to the last moment when he sacrificed himself for the good of his people. Even in that moment when I felt betrayed by his leaving me… I knew it was his path.

I wept.

I still wish that his sacrifice hadn't been the only answer. I had grown dark after that. I took to the arenas and my blade cut through foe after foe. Shadow Bane was my fighter's name if you've heard of me. It hardly mattered who or how many I fought, for in the arena they were the ones I blamed and they would feel my wrath. In my final match there I met with the champion, the Grey Knight. His existence annoyed me as his noble attitude brought back the pain that had dulled. Unfortunately I had broken him. I had found the identity of his father and with that knowledge he would fight no more.

He begged for death.

I delivered.

That was when I met the third man, this one would let me hide in the shadows. He let me forget. He helped me move on. He made me sadistic and I loved him for it. There was no virtue to him really. Lucien of the Black Hand was a murderer and made one of me. I found the work strangely entertaining. In one contract, which remains my favorite to this day, I was locked in a house with several others. They had been told that there was gold in the house and the door would be unlocked once it was found. In truth, I had the key, there was no chest, and the reason they were there was not to find treasure but to die. I had picked them off, one by one. The last two trusted me enough that they were sure it was the other person and the old lady had killed the young man. I smiled as I watched her do it too. No style. I then killed her. I should have learned there that the price of finding out too late can be just as bad as being wrong.

I scaled the ranks of the dark brotherhood taking every job I could to meet Luciens expectations. One such contract brought me back, almost by a twist in fate, to the first man I met in that same old cell I had escaped so long ago. My heart had leaped at the sight of him, the first person I could remember. I was sent to kill him though, and this was the first time the thought of killing had made me sad. Valen represented the beginning I suppose, and no matter his crudeness it felt wrong to kill him. He recognized me too, which only made it worse. He asked me to free him and tried to sweet talk me. In classic Valen style though, when I didn't seem to go for it he started to curse at me.

"It was nice seeing you again" were the only words he ever heard from me. I killed him and took no pleasure.

I was out of it for a while before I finally returned to collect my reward and things returned to normal. Valen was forcefully put to the back of my mind and I focused even further on Lucien. His wish became my command and after the purification of the base, where I killed the few who I actually interacted with, he was my only true connection to anyone.

Thing is my dedication to him is what also caused his downfall. The dead drops that I got from him were from the traitor that was supposed to have been killed at the base. I had been unknowingly picking off members of the dark brotherhood and had taken out the listener before Lucien finally caught up to me. He informed me of the hand's suspicion of him and it would be up to me to clear his name and find the real traitor.

Which I did… too late. The evidence in hand, I ran. Too late. I can not remember ever being so panicked nor running so fast. Too late. I couldn't get there in time…

I tried and failed. I failed him and myself. But I would at least have revenge. I killed the fucker who took Lucien from me, just when he was within reach of his own goal I yanked it away and killed him. The night mother made me her listener. I accepted took my rewards and left. I was depressed for quite some time and simply wondered the forests. Things happened in this period of time but non-of that which I care about. I helped random people, killed others. It hardly mattered. I hit a lake at some point and for maybe a day pondered the finer aspects of death by drowning.

Instead I just swam out a ways and floated. I watched the scenery. I was numb. It was dark when I saw the strange light radiate off the island. It was bizarre and so I swam towards it. Hitting land I found a path and following that I found a khajit mumbling about how no one can see her and a soldier who was fighting off an argonian. I also had a better view of where the light came from. A portal, magical by any guess, sat in the mouth of a strange statue. Even as the guard, who had finished off the argonian, warned me not to I stepped through. The shivering isles. This was truly an Alice in wonderland experience… whatever that means. Having fought my fair share of every common and quite a few uncommon monsters and beasts I was caught off guard at the strange flora and fauna of the land. My thoughts as I ran into the little town in the fringe was, these people are crazy… I like it. I think I had fit in rather well. They hated me and I found them amusing.

Sheogorath was the name everyone seemed to have on the tip of his or her tongue and so I felt I should meet the man himself. One gate guardian and the choice of the gate of mania followed by a strange dash to the center of this strange madness later found me in front of madness himself. Sheogorath. I was smitten. Handsome, witty, and a few nuts short. I found myself deeply amused with his halfway talk between friendliness and threats. His fashion statement was rather nice as well. I actually have to give credit to the whole island for that one though. Even their rags seemed interesting and exotic. The luck of the dammed had followed me through the door though. The time was short for Sheogorath and he chose me to sit on his throne. Yet again, I devoted myself to a mans cause, helping in any way I could. Yet again it was the mans undoing. Trial after trial, I rose up and succeeded. I defeated the god of order and rid the land not only of order, but of Sheogorath as well. With this final glorious defeat of my own wants I refuse any further dictation and direction from the gods that are determined to drive me as a pick through this lands people. They exist, but will receive no further help from me for I've been given no results worth praise.

Gods be dammed!

**A/N:**Martin, Lucien, Sheogorath, and Valen are the four most memorable characters for me and by far my favorites…. and they all die because I interact with them. Oh the woes of being an npc. May they rest in virtual peace.

The next chapter will not be an overview of the game like this one basically was, Also I will be putting a poll on my homepage to see which of the 4 npc is your favorite. Feedback is welcome!


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